The City of Spring Hill last month was the unfortunate victim of a cyber attack, which shut down many of its systems that make it possible to do business with the public each day.

According to a release, the city staff has restored much of the system impacted by the attack with the exception of utility billing, which may not be fully restored until the first quarter of 2018.

But, because the City of Spring Hill is currently unable to view water/sewer account histories, it is unable to determine a precise water meter reading for this month’s billing period. Due to this temporary inconvenience, the December bill will reflect the same amount an account was billed in November.

“This temporary solution allows customers to pay an estimated monthly billing amount in order to keep their accounts current rather than being billed a lump sum after multiple months when all account histories have been restored and actual water usage has been determined,” Victor Lay, city administrator, said. “There will be no late fees charged and no disconnection of service for non-payment during this period due to the technical difficulty we are experiencing.”

Also, you could wait for your exact reading. But, if you choose not to pay your monthly bill during this time due to the City’s temporary inability to calculate an exact bill amount and wait until the system has been fully restored when your household’s exact water usage can be determined, you will be asked to pay the full remaining balance within 30 days of the system being fully restored. At that time, late payment fines and service cut-offs will be reinstated. The City of Spring recommends the monthly estimated payment as a large lump sum payment could present a hardship for some families. If you pay the same amount as last month’s bill, your account will ultimately be corrected with a customer credit if you overpaid, or an additional billed amount if you underpaid, when the system is restored.

Unfortunately, the City is unable to process credit/debit card payments (online, by phone, or in person) for utility billing and other City payments. Automatic payments also are still not processing at this time. Payments should be made in person by cash, check or money order at City Hall; or mailed to P.O. Box 789, Spring Hill, TN 37174. Payments also can be dropped off in the night depository in front of City Hall.

“We hope to have the credit/debit card payment system restored before the next billing period.Our staff is working diligently to restore the system as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience during this time and we apologize for the inconvenience,” states a press release.